Duniecki, Stanisław (EN)

Duniecki Stanisław, *25 November 1839 Lviv, †16 December 1870 Venice, Polish composer. Initially, he studied piano and composition with J.Ch. Kessler. In 1854–58, he studied in Leipzig, in 1859 he completed his studies in Vienna, then in Brussels with F.J. Fétis and in Paris. In 1863, he returned to the country and took up the position of bandmaster of the small Polish stage in Czerniowce. In 1864, he was appointed bandmaster of the theatre in Lviv; there, in 1864, he staged his most popular operetta Paziowie królowej Marysieńki, which was also played in Vienna and Kraków in 1865; performed with the participation of H. Modrzejewska as pageboy Stefan, it was very popular in Krakow. Then Duniecki stayed in Warsaw and wrote reports on opera performances in the weekly “Kłosy.” Since the opera in Warsaw did not stage his Paziowie, in 1866 he took up the position of bandmaster of the Krakow theatre orchestra. During his stay in Krakow, he organised opera performances – he staged Halka (29 November 1866), with the participation of M. Gruszczyńska (the composer was present at the performance on 29 December 1866), and Verbum nobile (18 January 1867) by S. Moniuszko, as well as his own operas and operettas – but despite these efforts, the Krakow opera did not survive. Duniecki also wrote articles in the Krakow weekly “Kalina.” Due to lung disease, he went abroad in 1867; he lived in Romania, Meran, Tyrol, and finally settled in Venice.

Duniecki’s work has not been studied yet. J. Reiss wrote about his compositions: “He is characterised by nobility and the essence of melody, finesse of rhythm and sense of orchestral colour.” Referring to the technical resources of Rossini and Offenbach, Duniecki performed primarily comic operas, operettas, vaudevilles, among which his contemporaries particularly appreciated such works as Paziowie królowej Marysieńki and Pokusa.

Duniecki’s premature death prevented him from composing a serious opera, namely the “great Slavic opera” entitled Igor, which libretto, based on the famous Old Russian poem Słowo o pułku Igora, was prepared by Paweł Duniecki (the composer’s brother) and J.K. Turski. W. Poźniak assumes that Duniecki tried to use Wagner’s achievements in the opera Igor; he considers him the first composer “consciously striving to transplant Wagner’s theory to Poland.” Taking into account the fact that the young composer referred enthusiastically to Wagner’s drama in his article about Tristan und Isolde, published only a few years after the premiere of this controversial work at that time, Duniecki can certainly be considered one of the first supporters of Wagner’s music on a pan-European scale, predicting with extraordinary intuition the further development of dramatic music.

Literature: A. Poliński Stanisław Duniecki, “Kłosy” 1888 No. 1190; J. Reiss Jak Kraków walczył o operę, Kraków 1934; S. Wasylewski Sprawa Stanisława Dunieckiego, “Wiadomości Literackie” 1937 No. 31; J.W. Reiss, Duniecki Stanisław, in: Polski Słownik Biograficzny, vol. V, Kraków PAU 1939–1940; J. Reiss Duniecki Stanisław, “Poradnik Muzyczny” 1951 No. 3; W. Poźniak Opera po Moniuszce, in: Z dziejów polskiej kultury muzycznej, vol. 2, Kraków 1966; J.W. Reiss, Najpiękniejsza ze wszystkich jest muzyka polska. Szkic historycznego rozwoju na tle przeobrażeń społecznych, Kraków 1984.